The Poisonous Flower
by Yours Sincerely Serendipity
Summary: Rose/Scorpius Fic. Includes how they get to know each other, get together and what happens when their families find out. Disclaimer: nothing belongs to me.
1. A Potions Assignment

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_**Chapter One of a Rose/Scorpius fic. I've never really liked the next generation but they're growing on me. The real reason I'm writing this is to get to where all th Weasley cousins figure out that Rose is dating a **_**Malfoy_. Anyway, happy reading._**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, or anything to do with Harry Potter.**_

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A smile played at his thin lips, dragging the corners of his mouth upwards reluctantly. Rose Weasley gave him a quick look of annoyance. Slughorn was still talking,

"-I think, Miss Weasley, that you and Scorpius will make an excellent pairing-"

"-But Al and I have always-"

"-Enough, Weasley!" He was smiling at her, "Mr Potter's only here because I invited him, he fits in well with the brilliance of you lot. He's an honorary Gryffindor-slash-Slytherin," Rose huffed and sat next to him, staring straight ahead. Potter turned in his seat and gave her a shrug. Scorpius liked the Weasleys, he'd heard stories from his great aunt about them and their part in the war. He knew his Dad didn't like them, or the Potters, because Harry Potter had helped him and his parents avoid Azkaban after the war. Rose was rolling her eyes every time Slughorn explained something about their challenge. Create a new potion, a few guidelines, and they were on their own. The lesson ended with Rose walking straight out, ahead of everyone. Potter ran after her.

* * *

His eyes were drawn upwards to the source of the noise at breakfast. Rose Weasley had slammed several enormous books in front of him at breakfast. She looked at him expectantly,

"Well?"

"Well _what_?" He asked, bemused. She sighed and sat across the table from him.

"What kind of potion are you thinking of making?" She asked, pronouncing each word as if he couldn't understand English.

"Maybe a poison," He retorted in the same voice. Her eyebrows rose. He glanced at the books and realized that she'd had the same idea. "Wanting to poison Slughorn for his partnering?" He smirked. His father had told him that, once, the house tables had been used all year around, not just at the Sorting. He was pleased everyone sat wherever now; else he wouldn't be talking to her. She shot him another glare,

"Shut up, Malfoy. We're forced to work together, so we may as well get good marks." She tossed a partition of red-brown hair over her shoulder, and continued acerbically, "Besides, I wouldn't waste it on _him_, when I could just poison _you_." And with that, she picked up half of the books and returned to her seat across the hall.

"A handful you've got there, Scorp," Fellow seventh year Patrick Parkinson remarked. Scorpius grinned,

"Nothing I can't handle."

* * *

"It needs a name," She said, her eyelids drooping as she smiled at him. They were in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom – Scorpius had to admit that Rose's mother had given good advice – surrounded by dead rats. It was three in the morning. Their potion had finally been perfected. It had taken longer than expected, because they had wanted it to swirl green and red, to represent the makers. There had been several mishaps: Rose's fingers were still bright green. He grinned at her,

"I'm a scorpion, you're a rose: a Poisonous Flower." Rose looked at him with wide blue eyes and offered him a smile of admiration,

"That's clever, Scorpius," She complimented,

"Careful," He warned, "You'll give off the impression that you actually don't mind me." Rose met his eyes unabashedly and blinked at him,

"I like your company," She admitted, dropping her gaze awkwardly to the cauldron. If she had looked up, she may have caught the triumphant glint in her partner's eyes.

* * *

_**On a short visit home to her family, Rose asks the inevitable...**_

"I was just wondering," Rose waited for the agitated nod which signalled that her mother was listening. Her mother made no move from the book she was reading. Rose sighed and summoned the book silently,

"Rose!" Her mother warned over her glasses. She hadn't always worn glasses, but recently she had found reading harder than before. Dad said it was because she'd clean worn her eyes out over the years.

"I'm trying to ask you something!" She whined, sitting down. Her mother glanced at her,

"I'm sorry, darling." Rose nodded,

"I was wondering, what'sinanamereally?" She rushed; she hoped her mother had caught it, because repeating it seemed distinctly impossible.

"A name? Like what name?" Rose refrained from rolling her eyes; her mother was one of the smartest people she knew, but when it came to cottoning on to what she and Hugo were saying, she was _impossible_.

"Like a last name," Rose searched her mind for ideas, "Like…Black, for Teddy's Mum, you know…" She was squirming, desperate for her answer,

"Oh, a _name_!" Hermione shook her head at her daughter, "You really need to specify what _kind_ of name, Rosie, you could have meant a plant, a creature…" Rose tuned out happily; she knew the real answer was just around the corner, "… but there's nothing in a name like that, darling. You can make a name whatever you want to make it." Tears came to Rose's eyes; she had known this, of course; but hearing Mum say it was a relief!

"Thanks, Mum," She reached across the space between them and hugged Hermione; the latter laughed,

"You're welcome." Rose turned to leave, "Rose…?" Rose turned once more,

"Yes, Mum?"

"Don't ask your Dad, eh?" Rose smiled at her mother,

"Didn't even bother trying," Hermione smiled before summoning her book back and beginning to read once more. Rose's heart heaved in her chest – Dad would never say what Mum said, and she knew there was no getting around Dad.


	2. Deeper Into Trouble

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**_Disclaimer: I owned nothing in the first chapter and I still own nothing now... Rose and Scorpius both sneak out of school and find themselves in a blooming relationship..._**

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She pushed the hood back from her forehead. The Three Broomsticks was deserted except for someone with her back to them. She gasped air into her lungs and congratulated herself. She knew her parents and relatives had done far riskier things at school, but she had never done anything like this. She looked around, bewildered with success, she had left the Gryffindor Tower fifteen minutes ago, dodged Filch and Mrs Norris, and here she was, alone in Hogsmeade. Madam Rosmerta approached her,

"Ah, you, too. You want a seat?" She indicated to one of the many empty tables. Rose nodded and managed a thank you. She had her back to the other customer and didn't see him turning around with a comically bemused expression on his face,

"Rose Weasley!" He exclaimed, she felt her heart drop. She had wanted to _avoid_ students, not find herself face to face with one! She turned slowly. Scorpius was grinning at her like one of those Muggle clowns.

"Join me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

There was no one else to talk to, no one to sit down with. _Well, of course there aren't!_ She thought angrily to herself, _you've snuck out of school._ His eyes were laughing at her again, the green sparkling in and out of the brown. Rose shook herself and looked away as she sat across the table from him. Madam Rosmerta didn't seem to care about the situation, as long as they ordered butter beer every now and then.

"And what would Miss Weasley be doing out of school at a time like this?" Scorpius asked her in an excellent imitation of his head of house. Rose heaved a sigh. She was sick of facades, wasn't she? Hadn't Andromeda told her about how facades got you into trouble… how they'd gotten Scorpius' very grandparents into trouble?

"I got sick of … being there, surrounded by walls," She knew that made no sense whatsoever.

"I see," He replied, "Actually, I don't. But I accept," He gave a gallant smile and Rose knew once and for all that the feeling in her knees had nothing to do with potion fumes.

"This is the first time I've talked to you without a cauldron between us," She said; she only just refrained from clapping her hand over her mouth as soon as the sentence was out.

"Indeed. Nice, isn't it?" He shot at her; she could only grin weakly at him. She wished she knew what was happening behind his blonde hair, behind his laughing eyes. She thought of his father, and the stories, and wondered if the laugh had come back to _his_ eyes. She thought of everything that seemed to matter. Did it…? Did it?

* * *

_**Walking Through Hogsmeade**_

* * *

"People used to think that was haunted," Rose offered, giving the conversation a place to go and indicating the Shrieking Shack.

"They did?" Rose looked at him, amazed,

"You really don't hear much about the war at your house, do you?" He caught her eye,

"Well, Mum's from Bulgaria and Dad…" He seemed to weigh up his next sentence, "It's just a touchy subject," He finished. Rose nodded, she understood,

"My family knows your Great Aunt quite well, because she raised Teddy," Scorpius looked at her in surprise,

"You know Andromeda?" Rose nodded happily,

"She's one of my favourite people to talk to,"

"Me, too. All my stories about the war are ones she's told me," He paused, "Don't you ever wonder…?" With great pain, Rose remained silent, "… If I'm like them, like my family, my grandparents, my _father_?" He said it all very quickly, as if to make it less unpleasant. Rose turned the question over in her head,

"I guess I did … wonder. But I don't anymore," She turned to face him directly and gave him a smile, "I know who _you_ are now. You're Scorpius, not your ancestors." She was delighted to find him smiling back at her. Her knees melted a little. They kept walking,

"I thought every Weasley was arrogant and stupid," He admitted. Rose laughed,

"Some of us are; James Potter is only half Weasley but it's enough!" Scorpius chuckled. Rose noticed something, then:

"We're holding hands!" She exclaimed; he looked down and their hands, swinging together as they walked. He smiled at her again; she blushed as red as her hair. They wandered on…


	3. That Sinking Feeling

* * *

He sat at a desk in the Common Room and pulled his cloak closer around him. It didn't matter how many fires the prefects started in the dungeons, it was still freezing. Absently, he turned his face upwards and thought of the Gryffindor Tower. He scowled, looking remarkably like his grandfather. The thought had returned him to the object of his anguish: a certain brunette-cum-redhead with blue eyes. Her eyes were bluer than blue itself; had she been in Ravenclaw, her eyes would have set off the emblem rather than the other way around.

He sighed aggressively and began to pace. He couldn't be in love with a Weasley! His father would kill him! Scorpius knew there was a shaky peace between his father and the Weasley clan, but he also knew there was a deep, rooted animosity. But Rose wasn't like that; she wasn't perfect, but neither were the most perfect women he could think of. His mother, for instant, was the one whom other husbands envied, the one his father paraded around like a peacock. But she wasn't perfect, he knew; she couldn't cook and she was rather cold. And anyway, Scorpius reasoned, he didn't want a _peacock_. No, he wanted a Rose. Red sparks flew from the wand he held aloof in his hand.

Why shouldn't he love a Weasley? They were all a pretty decent bunch. James Potter was famous at Hogwarts for his pranks. He got them from the owner of the largest joke shop in Britain, George Weasley, who was also really famous. Scorpius knew from Teddy, his cousin, that James Potter worked with his uncle now. He was friendly with Lily Potter, whom he'd helped with a tricky situation in her second year. Scorpius shook his head, it didn't matter if he found the courage to stand up to his family, there were so many Weasleys there was no way he'd be able to date their relative!

* * *

She knew she'd regret it, but she went to her younger cousin. Lily was in her fifth year and was in constant detentions, much like her eldest brother. But Lily was shrewd, and she was a good person to talk to, provided one didn't ignite her temper. People said Rose had a temper, and then they met Lily. Uncle Harry often said that was because Hermione and Ron's temper was nothing to Ginny's alone. Rose smiled when she remembered the fight that had ensured when Dad had reminded her uncle about his tantrums. Above all of these reasons, was the fact that Scorpius and Lily were on friendly terms. Rose knew going to any other cousin was a fatal move.

"Is this about how you have it bad for Scorpius Malfoy?" Lily asked the minute Rose sank onto her cousin's bed. Rose grimaced at her and nodded.

"Does everyone know?" She asked in a small voice. Lily laughed,

"Molly knows, and she'll tell her Dad-"

"And Uncle Percy will tell Uncle Bill-"

"Who'll tell Victoire, who'll tell James-" Lily was cut off by Rose's groan.

"I hate Scorpius stupid Malfoy!" Rose exclaimed, "Why couldn't he be a, a…"

"Finnegan," Lily supplied helpfully,

"Just because you're into what's-his-face Finnegan!" Rose countered, a smile creeping across her face,

"Yeah, well, _my_ Dad won't care if I marry a Finnegan. _You _on the other hand…"

"Dad is going to murder the whole Malfoy family if he gets wind of this!" Rose lamented,

"_When_ he gets wind of this," Lily corrected, most _un_helpfully this time. Rose closed her eyes and waited for everything to fade away.

It didn't. Lily was laughing at her. She realized she knew what was going to happen,

"I want to see him," She said, rolling each word out as if it caused her great pain.

"Go see him, then," Lily replied, her tone glib,

"How?" She demanded, reminding her cousin forcefully of her Aunt Hermione,

"Go to the Slytherin dungeon entrance and yell or something. Or send a message somehow,"

"One, I don't know where the Slytherin Common Room is, not being a rebel like _some_ people; two, I'm not sure I have the best Patronus for sending messages," Lily smirked,

"Why, what is it?" Rose glared at her cousin and picked up her wand. She imagined her cousin being hexed by both her older brothers and a snake erupted out of the tip of her wand. It danced elegantly around the room as Rose gave it instruction. Lily's smirk became more pronounced,

"Shut up," Rose said as she left the room and headed to the room she and Albus had found, which her uncle had informed her was the Room of Requirement.


	4. Surrendering To The Inevitable

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_**Disclaimer: I own excatly nada.**_

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He slipped noiselessly in her room and stood by the door. She was sitting on a little seat, swinging her legs back and forth, kicking the base of the seat hard with each swing. He was still cold; as soon as he thought it fires erupted around the room and it became smaller, as if to contain heat. This also meant Rose was only a couple of feet away from him. She grinned in spite of herself,

"It gives you whatever you want, when you ask it," She explained, her voice edgy. He grinned back with his eyes glinting and suddenly the seat had disappeared under her and she was on the floor. She shrieked in surprise. Thoughtlessly, he reached a hand down to help her up. The moment she touched his hand he regretted it. Electricity coursed through them and his pulse sped up significantly. She would have withdrawn her hand except that, by some animalistic instinct, he had grabbed it and pulled her up. She was inches from his face now.

"We can't be together," He said clearly and quietly, knowing full well he was saying it in vain.

"It's a bit like Romeo and Juliet," She commented, before realizing that he didn't know who they were. He was still holding her hand. She could hardly breathe as her stomach turned into millions of butterflies desperate to escape. He breathed in deeply before asking,

"Do you want me?" She hardly dared to twitch, because she knew he was asking in earnest and watching her every move. She nodded without façade. Suddenly, the Rose who hid was gone and in her place was the flower Scorpius had seen from the beginning. He kept looking at her, holding her gaze when she dared to meet his.

She regarded him coolly, her eyes swimming with ambivalence. She raised a hand and placed it on his cheek as if to experiment. His skin was still cold; her coolness was betrayed by her trembling, as she traced his cheekbone. Her lips turned up into a quiet smile. Her hair was out, for once, wild and ruddy, framing her face. Her ears, he noticed, were pink. He continued to stare at her. She rolled her eyes at him. He laughed. And then she kissed him. He groaned as their lips met, finally surrendering himself to the inevitable. She moved her hand so that it was grasping him, pulling him closer to her – as if he could _get_ any closer! Her other hand had grabbed the front of his robes, and her fingers curled around the Slytherin emblem, emblazoned on his chest. She didn't care for houses, he knew. His arms – of their own accord – had wrapped themselves around her waist. He deepened the kiss and tasted her surprise. They were locked together so tightly, he was sure she must be breathing for him.

She broke off the kiss and buried her face in his robes, hand still clutching the emblem on his chest. She was shaking as he adjusted his arms to hold her. He breathed in her hair and knew there was really nothing for it; he was never going to escape the fate awaiting him when his father found out. She spoke into his chest,

"I hope my Dad doesn't kill you," She said, laughing half out of bewilderment and half out of relief.

"It will have been worth it," He replied to hair.

* * *

"They're going to find out – Albus saw you walking together in Hogsmeade last time," Lily told her in a covert corner of the Three Broomsticks one weekend. Rose blushed,

"It has to happen sometime," She replied; her sentence was cut short by Scorpius' appearance. He was bearing drinks for Rose, Lily and himself.

"What has to happen?" He asked; Rose scowled at him,

"Eavesdropper," She accused mockingly, he flicked a peanut at her,

"The dreaded parental intervention," Lily answered; Scorpius grimaced and Lily laughed, "They say horses look like their owners, apparently boyfriends do the same with girlfriends." Both Rose and Scorpius were drawn out of their dread to flick peanuts at Lily. She held up both hands before grabbing her drink,

"I get it! I get it! I'm going," She went to join Molly, who was also a fifth year, at her table with a bunch of Hufflepuffs. Rose marvelled at Lily, her cousin was so popular; she flitted between Houses and groups as easily as a sparrow.

"She's good to us," Scorpius commented, drawing Rose close by putting his arm around her,

"Yes," Rose sighed and turned to face him, "But one convert is not enough," Scorpius chuckled darkly,

"No, but it's _something_," He countered,

"I guess it is, yeah," She replied, screeching as he tickled her and moving away. Their eyes were marred with the same thought: was _something_ going to see them through?

* * *

_**Please review! The next chaper is Christmas time, when the Weasleys find out...**_

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	5. Ambush: Weasley Style

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**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Weasley Christmas and Albus has informed James about Rose's new flame, sparks fly as the cousins collide with her. Complies with JK's family tree of the Weasleys with one exception: Charlie is married to Esther and has three children: Rubeus, Arthur and Dora._**

* * *

"Right," James Potter muttered under his breath before addressing the contingent of Weasley cousins gathered in Al's bedroom. There were his siblings, Al and Lily, of course. And Victoire was there, looking as grim as Teddy Lupin – who had his arm around her waist – did. Dom and Louis were in France visiting their other cousins. Hugo stood opposite James – the younger ones were nervous, James realized.

"We all have a responsibility to stop Rose – our beloved cousin and _sister_-" He said, directing the emphasis at a guilty looking Hugo "-From dating a Slytherin-"

"And a Malfoy at that!" Added a redhead from the far corner, whose twin sister nodded vigorously.

"Exactly," James replied, grinning at Uncle George's twins, Fred and Roxanne.

"But we're _younger_ than her!" Protested Molly – Uncle Percy's oldest daughter – from behind Uncle Charlie's three children: Rubeus, Arthur and Dora.

"Sometimes, younger people are wiser than older ones," James said, pacing his corner of the room, "Remember all the parents' stories: Cornelius Fudge, _Minister for Magic_, thought Voldemort wasn't back! And my Dad, _your uncle_," He added, catching Al's eye and his meaning, "Was wiser than he was! That's just one of many prime examples-"

"James?" James looked up at his sister. He had been hoping that, for once, Lily would just shut up and follow orders. Al glanced at her before grinning at his feet; he'd known there'd be no such luck.

"Yes, Lil?" Lily drew herself up, and James almost gulped in spite of himself. Lily was in her fifth year, two years younger than Al, but she was almost as scary as Mum and Grandma Molly. Dad said she took after namesake as well. James privately thought it was a blessing that Grandma Lily wasn't around – imagine _four_ of them! Lily started off sweetly enough, but all the cousins knew better than trust that innocent tone: they had witnessed too many explosions.

"I don't think its any of our business who Rose dates. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione don't seem to-"

"They don't _know_," Hugo broke in, agitation getting the better of his placid nature.

"-well, it's _none_ of our business!" Lily snapped, drawing up to full height and making James take an almost imperceptible step backwards. "I hope you lot don't start mucking around in _my_ affairs when it comes time for me to-" Al stepped in front of Lily,

"Shut up," He muttered to her. Her ears grew red with anger as she contemplated the ways of killing Al without using a wand. "We have to _do_ something. You've all heard of Draco Malfoy – that's this git's _father_, and _our_ Rose is dating him! We don't want that blood in the family!" Victoire and Teddy were nodding, as were most of the others.

Lily, having found a solution to her problem, hit Al over the head with his own Transfiguration textbook. He staggered away from her and sat on the bed, dazed. Molly ran to make sure he was ok, glancing nervously at her older cousin.

"And Scorpius' grandmother helped Dad, _remember_? Besides, have you not listened to a _word_ Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione ever told us! She got tortured and all sorts for being a Muggle-born-!"

"Yeah – by Scorpius' _dad_ and his grandmother's _relatives_, stupid!" Rubeus exclaimed. James stepped up to be beside his sister.

"Look, Lil, we're not being like _that_-" Lily huffed indignantly, "We just want to make sure Rose-"

"Have you even _met_ Scorpius, James?" She fired at him. He stopped abruptly,

"Well, no, but-"

"You lot!" Lily screeched at a contingent of cousins. Molly, Lucy, Rubeus, Fred, Dora, Arthur, Hugo and Roxanne shifted in apprehension. "You know him. He's a prefect, isn't he? And he's _nice_, isn't he? Not like the Slytherins we've all heard about-"

"The Malfoys are mongrels, according to my Dad," Hugo said, his voice not at all matching the atmosphere,

"Well, he _shouldn't_ say that!" Lily turned to Teddy, who seemed amused by the entire affair. He had made himself a target. "_You_! You're parents died so that this wouldn't happen! Remus and Tonks – Tonks was always an outcast because of her blood! We should be _applauding_ Rose for this, not-!"

"Thanks very much, for your input, Lily, but-" James, having had the same idea as Al, silenced Lily. Al used a body-bind curse on her.

"Sometimes, it's all you can do…" James said in mock sadness. Teddy was still grinning; it was difficult to insult Teddy, he was a lot like Hugo: never bothered by anything.

* * *

Rose was blissfully unaware of the commotion upstairs. She was walking in the Potter's garden, having been shooed from the adults' respective gatherings. The women: her mother and aunts were in the sitting room discussing their husbands' faults; the men were doing just the same about the women in the kitchen. It was tradition that as the men made dinner – once a year, at Christmas time – the women would gossip about them in the sitting room. Why the women thought the men just behaved themselves was beyond Rose. Her Dad had pushed her out of the kitchen when she'd tried to enter. She wondered where all her cousins were. She wasn't particularly bothered; usually there was a snowball fight going on, or something. There was a rumble of feet from the Potters' house. Rose turned and saw them all, heading towards her, James Potter in front. That pigheaded look of his coloured his features. Rose took in the group, everyone – united; now _there_ was a change – except Lily was walking towards her. Actually, they all shared a look of determination. Rose remained cool – as ever – but her mind had only two words for her: _uh oh_!

* * *

The men were in hysterics in the kitchen. Ron was letting the bread burn, but he didn't care. Some stories, they yelled at Charlie through their laughter, just shouldn't be told. Thank goodness they had managed to put a silencing spell on the kitchen without detection – again. Harry was the first to recover; he made a dive for the oven and rescued the bread,

"Nice save, mate," George called from where he resumed chopping vegetables.

"Yeah, well, it's _my_ house that might burn down this year," Harry pointed out, his grin betraying him. There was shouting from the living room. Very indignant shouting, actually… Bill looked up at Harry,

"That's coming from outside…"

"Snowball fight," Ron muttered, still recovering from his laughter.

"Nah, its not screams, mate, its shouting," Ron strained his ears at George's words,

"Hey, I know that yell!" He exclaimed, "That's Rose – sounds just like her mother used to- remember, eh, Harry? Getting yelled at every-"Harry was only half listening. There was a yell from several people all at once, and suddenly all the fathers were able to recognise their own children through the open window. It was a muddle of shouting, everyone at each other, it seemed. Charlie looked at Percy,

"What d'you reckon?" Percy asked him, Charlie shook his head,

"If mine are in it – and I can hear Art from here – I'm not getting involved." There was a knock on the kitchen door. Looking guilty, Ron waited for Harry to reverse the silence charm before opening the door to find Audrey and Hermione looking in.

"Sounds like a row," Audrey remarked, jerking her head towards the window. Hermione looked at Ron,

"Rose is screaming at them an _awful_ lot, Ron. You don't suppose-"

"Suppose what?" Ron asked, indignant at the accusation that his daughter was more troublesome than the others,

"Well, I-"

"JAMES POTTER!" The yell came from upstairs,

"Lily, don't-!" Harry heard his wife's plea from just above – Al's bedroom. He knew the last part of the plea involved magic: Harry's influence at the Ministry was wearing thin when it came to Lily jinxing her brothers. There was thundering on the stairs. Ginny, Fleur, Esther and Angelina joined the men. Without so much as glancing at each other, the parents were all gathered around the window.

* * *

The cousins were in a gaggle around Rose; Hugo was trying to reason with her.

"Rose, just listen-"

"JAMES POTTER!" James grimaced: someone – probably _Mum_ – had set Lily free. Rose was eyeing James dangerously; he glanced at her wand and remembered that she and Al were of age. Lazily, he drew his own wand.

"Don't turn this into a duel, James," Rose said, her voice sickly sweet. "Get off me, Hugo!" James heard footfalls, and turned just in time to see his sister lunge at him. He stood aside and she landed at Rose's feet.

"I'm sorry, Rose! I tried, I really did, but they're all _gits_-" Rose nodded at her cousin,

"That's it." She said simply. James and Al's eyes widened in mock terror.

"Going to cast some spells, are you, Rose-A-Lee," James teased, drawing his wand easily. Al laughed. Rose smiled at her older cousin grimly. And so they duelled.

* * *

The parents gasped as wands became part of the row.

"Should we stop them?" Angelina asked, looking at George. George shrugged,

"Let 'em battle it out,"

"What're they going to do that we can't reverse?" Ron added confidently,

"Your daughter's going to murder the lot of them, by the looks of it, mate," Bill replied gleefully, enjoying the antics. Harry shook his head,

"James better leave the country when Lily comes of age. What did he do to her?" He asked Ginny, Ginny sighed wearily,

"Body bind, silenced, by James _and _Al, by the sounds of things,"

"Deed she tell you what eez going on?" Fleur asked, Ginny shook her head,

"No, actually. But if they're all united against Rose…"

"Why would they be?" Ron asked, ears dangerously pink,

"We don't _know_, Ron," Hermione replied, exasperated, "We're only batting theories around,"

'Well find another!" He replied testily. Hermione rolled her eyes at Esther and Angelina, as if to say _see what I mean? _They grinned at her.

"Okay, okay," Charlie interjected, "They've had rows before,"

"Not with wands though," Bill pointed out, still sounding pleased with the state of affairs,

"Well, James, Victoire and Teddy always get along, and they've been the only ones who can-"

"Ah," Harry murmured to Ginny, losing track of what Percy was saying, "It gets so complicated when they start using magic," _Especially when their underage,_ He added to himself, thinking of James' hearing a few years ago. It seemed only Albus could keep out of trouble.

"-I think it _is_ Rose, Ron, sorry if that _offends_ you," Ginny started, not sounding sorry in the slightest.

"Well, whatever it is, they're all wrong, except Hugo!" Ron retorted,

"For Merlin's sake, Ron," Hermione muttered. A scream made them turn back to the fight. It was getting out of hand: Victoire was in the process of pulling out her wand; Teddy was already frozen in place, a statue of ice. Rose was holding her own against Al and James.

"I'm impressed, Ron. How'd an idiot like you raise a genius like Rose, eh?" George asked, earning himself a punch.

"Hermione's influence, naturally," Bill put in, dodging Ron's fist by hiding behind Hermione,

"Coward," She teased, laughing,

"What on earth is going on?" Audrey murmured.

* * *

Rose managed to jinx Victoire before her wand was fully drawn. She regretted jinxing Teddy and Victoire, but if they became involved, she would never win.

"Embarrassed, _Potter_?" Rose yelled at the eldest Potter, "That Vic and Teddy felt they had to step in for _you_?"

"I'm just fine, _Weasley_," He replied, a smile in his voice – it was the most fun he'd had in ages. A grin had spread across his face: it was as if the first James Potter had crept into him and taken over. Al was already on the ground, covered in flapping Bat Bogeys. It amused Lily greatly that her older brother had been cursed with his own mother's speciality. She wished she could help Rose, but thought of the trouble she'd been in with Dad last time she'd jinxed James. James aimed a body binding curse at Rose; she dropped to the ground effortlessly and shot ropes at James. James yelped and severed them,

"Learning tricks from him, are you?" He shouted at her, "Been cuddling up to him so he can teach you all his little tricks?" Rose gave an incoherent scream of fury. Suddenly, James was a statue of ice like Teddy. Rose had placed a well aimed curse at him. He stood, frozen.

* * *

In the kitchen, Angelina whistled,

"Gee, Ron and Hermione, I'm impressed," Even Hermione couldn't wipe the proud grin off her face.

"Who's she been 'cuddling up to'!" Ron yelled; Hermione, Charlie and Harry barely stopped him from jumping out of the window,

"Cool it, Ron, they'll know we're watching, you prat," George smacked his younger brother over the head,

"You know, seventeen's not that young to be dating-"

"Agreed," Ginny said, nodding at Esther and grinning at Harry, "Sixteen even," Ron's ears remained pink.

"RIGHT!" Rose's wand was pointing at her throat. Her voice echoed through the garden. George had placed an invisible screen in front of the window. She didn't realize that everyone could hear her, or that they were watching. "LET'S GET THIS STRAIGHT, SHALL WE, COUSINS?" The adults leant forwards in spite of themselves,

"Yes, let's," George encouraged under his breath; Bill laughed,

"I'm just dying to hear this, Rosie," Hermione muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Harry was shaking his head: both his sons, beaten by Ron's _daughter_!

* * *

Rose, deciding that her anger was enough to fuel a tirade of shouts, let her wand drop.

"I can date whoever the heck I like, and it is _none_ of your business, ANY of you!" Lily was standing next to Rose, nodding. "And for your information, Scorpius is not _like_ all those awful people we've heard about. He's genuine, and kind, and I _love_ him, so you're just going to have to-"

"You _what_?" Victoire asked – eyes wide – as she stood up, having been freed by Rose as she spoke.

"I _love_ him. You think I didn't think about you lot before I started going out with him! I knew it would be like this!" Huge eyes stared at her, all except for the Potter boys' lowering in shame, "You're all so _easy_ to sway, aren't you? What did James do, huh? Turn on the _charm_, tell you how _smart_ you are, use _examples_ from the stories we've heard?" No one was looking at her anymore; they all stared at their feet.

"That is _exactly_ what he did, Rosie," Lily cut in, "_And_ Al," Teddy had been freed by Victoire, but Al and James were still struggling against the curses. Rose grimaced.

"Right. Well, you're all forgiven then, since you can't be adults and stand up to these two _pigheaded_, arrogant _jerks_, you can be let off for _sheer_ weakness." The entire Weasley clan looked miserable. Teddy didn't look much happier,

"We're sorry, Rosie, we didn't realize-"

"Yeah, I know you didn't, Vic. Because you didn't bother _asking_, did you? Or meeting him, for that matter," She added acerbically in James' direction.

* * *

There had been several explosions in the kitchen. Ron had been restrained only by a Stunning hex which Bill had aimed at him. His cry of fury at the name that had rolled off his daughter's lips had been reminiscent of Remus Lupin's werewolf transformations. Hermione, ignoring her incapacitated husband on the floor, had sunk into a chair at the words "I _love_ him," her expression torn between happiness and fury, as per usual when it came to her children. Harry was stunned, he hadn't realized how much James had taken after his grandfather, or his power over other people. For the most part, the Weasley adults were laughing.

"She sure knows how to make them all feel terrible," George remarked easily,

"Congratulations, Ron and Hermione," Esther said warmly. Hermione looked up at Charlie's wife, tears in her eyes.

"She _loves_ him,"

"Yeah, a _Malfoy_," Ron muttered feebly, stirring on the floor.

""So _what_, Ron? Our daughter's in love!" Harry doubted very much that that was going to save Draco or Scorpius from being cursed into oblivion.

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**_Please review!_**

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	6. A Different Kind Of War

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_**Disclaimer: Still owning nothing, here. This is at Draco's house, Narcissa is over for Christmas. I don't really like this chapter, but I've been fiddling with it too long so here it is. I'm a little biased, Narcissa is one of my favourite characters. But, enjoy...**_

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Narcissa Malfoy cornered her grandson in the middle of his walk and yanked him rather violently into a hydrangea plant. Her hand was freezing on his wrist. The glare matched it. Cool blue eyes stared at him, calculating him. He'd always liked his grandmother, but when she got mad, he hated her with a passion. She was still in her dressing gown, but he knew her coldness had nothing to do with temperature. She never aged; Andromeda said she looked the same now as at the end of the war. She pinched him to get his attention,

"Ouch!" He yelped, "What was that for?"

"You're a fool, boy," She said, acid pouring into her words. Her nails dug into his arm. He wouldn't give in; he'd known she'd figured it out when she'd handed her the letter this morning.

"That's what they say about love," He replied in a voice cold enough to impress her. Her eyes widened,

"You don't know what love is-"

"No," He interjected, "_You_ don't know what love is, Grandmother. You married as your family wanted you to, it was Andromeda had the right idea about things-" She slapped him across the face. She could be so lovely when she wanted to love him, he thought sorrowfully…

"Rose _Weasley_, boy!" She exclaimed, more passionately than usual, "Not only a Weasley but _Ronald_'s child, of all the ones to pick! Even a Potter…"

"I didn't _pick_, Grandmother!" He said angrily, "I fell in love, you don't _pick_ when you fall in love, surely you know _that_!" She stepped away from him and extracted her nails from his flesh. He seemed to have hit a nerve. She stood with her face more open that he'd ever seen it. She looked … _vulnerable_ – Narcissa! She was gazing at him at is he'd transformed into someone else.

"I know that," She said, her voice soft, "Why do you think I have _this_?" Acid coloured her tone once more as she showed him a faded Dark Mark. He understood,

"You fell in love with a Death Eater," He whispered; she nodded. "It was your choice, but in disguise…" He trailed off as a flash of red crossed the corner of his eye.

"Down!" Narcissa muttered, grabbing him and throwing him into the bushes with agility she should have lost long ago.

"What do you want, Ronald?" She called to the man racing towards the house. A brown haired woman followed close after; Scorpius could see them from his position. He'd swallowed dirt as his grandmother had pushed him into the ground.

"I-want-to-see-your-son!" The man's words were strangled as he panted with the effort. The woman reached Narcissa,

"Narcissa, we just want to talk to Draco, _and_ to Scorpius-"

"How dare you come here?" Rose's voice erupted into Scorpius' consciousness as Rose Apparated near her parents.

"Rosie!" He exclaimed at the same time as the woman. He stood up. His grandmother turned to offer him her best glare yet,

"Scorpius!" She ran to him and threw her arms around him so hard he flew backwards and hit the bush with a thud.

"I'm so sorry," She cried into his shoulder,

"Sh, it's alright," He murmured, trying to gather himself. Rose was dragged off him by a blonde man with a face like thunder. Scorpius gulped as he was dragged to his feet by his father. They had always had a complicated relationship, but obligatory love seemed to have flown out of the window. Without warning, Scorpius was stiff as a board and on the ground. Rose yelled and freed him before stepping between her boyfriend and her father.

"Don't you dare curse my son, Weasley," Draco's voice was the same drawl it had always been. It left a bad taste in Hermione's mouth, but she laid a hand on Ron's arm to restrain him. Draco furiously hit Rose with the same jinx. Scorpius flicked his wand and helped Rose to her feet.

"We aren't going to get anywhere if all you do is curse each other's children," Narcissa's voice called clearly over the indignant shouts Scorpius was aiming at his father. Draco refused to look at his son. Narcissa addressed the Weasleys,

"Control yourselves, would you?" Narcissa nodded at nobody in particular, "Be reasonable, Draco," She warned her son; his head barely turned to her.

"Isn't this what you fought for?" Rose screamed at her father, "So that I could be with anyone I wanted, and so that there wouldn't-!"

"Rose, this scum didn't fight for what we-!" Narcissa blanched further at Ronald Weasley's words. Draco aimed a curse at his schoolyard enemy. The men duelled. Rose moaned and buried her head in Scorpius' shoulder once more. Her mind flew to a story from the war, about Narcissa Malfoy saving Uncle Harry's life, and not inadvertently, either. Silently, concentrating her mind on the outcome she wanted, she summoned a Patronus – still a snake – and sent it to Uncle Harry.

Harry appeared in the midst of the duel a few minutes later. Ron was covered in angry welts, and Malfoy was battling with ropes which kept coiling around him.

"_Protego!_" He yelled, causing the opponents to be thrown far from each other. He took in the situation. Hermione was watching him, waiting for instruction, it seemed; she had reverted to wartime strategy. Narcissa Malfoy, paler than ever, was staring at the couple; Rose was in the Malfoy boy's arms, facing away from the commotion. Scorpius' face was half-hidden in her shoulder. Harry sighed heavily, he knew asking them to call it off was a lost cause. He let down the shield spell and addressed the fathers. Draco looked at him with the same hatred he'd had in their school days. Harry – thinking of his father and Severus Snape – met his gaze with a level one of his own, free of animosity.

"They're in love," He said weakly, wishing desperately that Ginny were here to say something intelligent. Draco scoffed in unison with Ron,

"She's seventeen!"

"He's too young!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron,

"Didn't you fall in love with Hermione when we were seventeen?" Ron ears went pink. Harry wished he had the same argument to level at Draco. He looked at Narcissa for help; she obliged,

"I fell in love with Lucius when I was twelve and he was seventeen," Draco shot his mother a look that would have made his long dead, insane great-aunt proud. Harry remembered a silver doe.

"Rose, Scorpius, could you come stand on either side of me, please," Scorpius glanced at Rose, who nodded nervously and took a place on her uncle's left.

"Right." Harry said. "Rose, conjure a Patronus, would you?" Rose muttered the incantation and the snake shimmered silkily in the air, wrapping itself around her. Ron looked as if he'd just been punched in the face. Harry looked at Scorpius. He pointed his wand at his father and an otter flew from its tip, it swam around the snake and there they faded.

"You can't really argue with that," Harry said, still weakly.

"I can. And I _will_." Draco's face was cold and drawn. There was no give there. Scorpius stepped up to his father, his hands were shaking, but only Rose could tell.

"I love Rose Weasley. I _love_ Rose Weasley. And you know what, _Father_, you can't say anything about the Weasleys; Andromeda told me that Ronald Weasley saved you during the battle, from one of _your _cronies. And some of them spoke at your trial. You were a bad man, Father. They were good men. Now, you're both good men. And _I_ love _their-_" He indicated Rose's parents "-daughter, Rose." Draco didn't move a muscle. Rose took Scorpius' hand and stepped up near to him,

"I don't think you're being fair, Mr Malfoy," She was trying so hard not to flinch at the man's face she was shaking like a leaf; Hermione looked at her daughter, pride shining through the worried frown. "I love your son, and I don't care who his family is, or what mine think. Your son is good, and he's kind, and he's the best person I know at Hogwarts. I can't promise you'll like me, but I can promise you don't need to like my parents, and they don't need to like you. I only want Scorpius, and he only wants me." Scorpius – to Rose's intense relief – nodded. Harry looked at his best friend,

"You know, Ron, people speak very highly of Scorpius," Ron jerked his head cryptically,

"Draco, these people are not bad people. Just look at him, _Draco_!" Narcissa's voice lost all pretence as she begged her son to do the unthinkable, "They are _happy_, they love each other. And _they_ saved _us_." She stepped so close to son that only he could hear, "How long will you hold on to your pride, Draco? How long until you accept that _we_ were the scum and they were not? There is no more dignity in the name Malfoy," She turned to the group and lifted her sleeve, "I chose Lucius, and I sacrificed everything for him. You fought so that your children would never have to do anything of the like. And here they are. Look how well you've _all-_" She gave Draco a pointed look over her shoulder, "Done. Two beautiful children, who love each other. If that's the worst this world has to offer now, _take it_." It was an order, not a plea.

Scorpius couldn't believe it was his grandmother talking. In fact, if he hadn't been watching her, he'd have claimed it was someone else. She didn't even sound like _Narcissa_. She sounded a lot like Andromeda, though. He realized that they were the same: marrying for love. Their lives had nothing to do with Voldemort or with Scorpius' mad great aunt.

"Ron, we fought so that there wouldn't be "bad" blood anymore," Hermione said, appealing to her husband,

"It's not the same, Hermione,"

"You're doing just what they did to me at school. All because of blood." Her words seemed to cause Ron great pain because he convulsed.

"_Draco._" It wasn't a question, it was another order, Draco knew. His mother's fingernails dug so deep into his arm he almost yelled in pain. Hermione walked to the couple and offered a hand to Scorpius,

"I'm Hermione," She said plainly. He shook her hand, and Harry's as the latter extended his own hand. Scorpius, taking her hand, dragged Rose to his father,

"This is my girlfriend, Rose," Narcissa's grip on her son's arm had slackened, giving him the final choice,

"Pleasure," He said through gritted teeth, sounding like it was the last thing on his mind. But, Scorpius thought, it was _something_. He turned when someone tapped him on the shoulder,

"Rose's father," He said rather unnecessarily. Scorpius shook his hand.

Narcissa met her once-benefactor's eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him. Harry Potter raised one right back.

"This isn't peace," She mouthed at him,

"No," He mouthed back, "But it's a start."

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**_R&R Please_**

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	7. The Grandmothers' Plan

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_**Still don't own. Short chapter, its an interlude. More to come. R&R please, folks.**_

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"Would you care to explain today's display," He asked, circling her like a vulture, "_Mother_?" She sat unflinching, staring out of the window. Her son was a lot like his father – easy to ignore when necessary. She loved them both so, her two men. One man now, since Lucius' death a few years earlier. Her chin was tilted defiantly as she waited for an answer to come to her.

"Draco,"

"_Mother_," Was his acerbic reply. She rolled her eyes,

"You're going to lose him,"

"He deserves to be lost if he continues with that-that … Mud-" Narcissa had stood abruptly and slapped her son.

"Don't you call her that! Have you forgotten _everything_, Draco?" The power in the room had shifted. Draco sat down, frowning. "Remember having to _torture_ people, remember _hating_ Hermione Granger, remember _Bella_, remember her torturing Rose's mother until the girl could hardly _speak_, remember how you _couldn't_ betray Potter – _remember!_" She screamed the last word at him. He had been flinching at each memory.

"I _remember_," He replied through gritted teeth.

"Then you'll remember how they won. How much _better_ they all are than _us_. You're lucky you even have Scorpius, Draco! We could be rotting in Azkaban if Harry Potter hadn't spoken for us! We _should_ be there!" Narcissa's face was coloured red with passion; this scared her son more than the cold façade.

"I _know_ all of this, Mother," He snarled,

"Start acting like it, then," She snarled back before slamming the door as she left. She paced the grounds for many hours after the conversation, waiting for a solution to come.

* * *

Possibly the last person Molly Weasley expected to see at the Burrow was Narcissa Malfoy. And yet there the latter was, in a silver coat. She looked younger than the former; she had retained her looks and the delicate translucence of her skin. Molly gestured at the woman to come inside, and offered her a cup of tea. Narcissa took it gratefully; although it didn't show, her bones felt the cold more than they had before.

"I've come to talk to you about Rose and Scorpius," She said unnecessarily. Molly nodded.

"I've met him, he's a lovely boy," Her tone showed all the signs of reversed incredulousness.

"Yes, but-"

"The fathers," Molly finished for her, relaxing her shoulders as she realized that Narcissa was here in her granddaughter's best interests. Narcissa nodded, she had always found Molly Weasley difficult to talk to – before the last war, it had been because of her Blood Traitor status; now, Narcissa knew, it was simply a matter of intimidation, the Order of Merlin (First Class) stared visitors in the face from above the oven. Narcissa remembered days when she had been a queen of sorts among the wizard community. Not anymore.

"They don't necessarily have to get along," She offered,

"No," Molly said thoughtfully, "As long as they don't start brawling in bookshops…" Narcissa laughed at the memory. She stopped abruptly, surprised that she and this woman – once enemy – could share a pleasant conversation. Molly was shaking with laughter herself.

"Maybe we should have a, a … lunch," Molly finished, somewhat inadequately. "Not the whole family," She added hastily, thinking of the Potter boys, "Just a few of them, a few uncles, and a few, er, _select_ cousins." Narcissa nodded thoughtfully,

"Draco would come, Astoria would force him to," She said, smiling at the thought of her daughter-in-law,

"And Hermione can drag Ron," Narcissa sighed,

"Arthur?" She asked, dreading the answer. Molly grinned at Narcissa,

"Don't you worry about Arthur; I fancy you would have been able to bring L-" She stopped as she saw tears – yes, _tears_ – forming at the base of Narcissa Malfoy's eyes. "I'm sorry, Narcissa, I heard about your loss, but,"

"Its alright," The other woman replied, shaking herself, "I just manage to forget he's dead every now and again," Molly nodded without understanding; only a widow can truly understand that sentiment.

"Who'd have thought we'd have another war to fight," Narcissa said, smiling shakily at Molly; the latter laughed before summoning the teapot once more.


	8. Lunch At The Burrow: Part I

_I don't really like this chapter, but here it is. Its part one of the lunch. After this, the story's going to wind up because otherwise they get monotonous, I don't have it in me for an epic. Disclaimer: hey, I still don't own Harry Potter, what do you know..._

"You'll behave, won't you?" The woman asked as she watched her husband dress from the bathroom. She ran product through her hair and turned back to him, "Won't you?" He gave a non-committal grunt and shrugged into his shirt,

"If that git does-"

"_Don't_ call him that, Ronald!" She threw a hairbrush at him.

"Ow! Hermione-!"

"We're stuck with them as in-laws by the looks of things!" Ron rubbed the back of his head,

"Don't say things like that, Hermione, _I_ still have hope," Hermione threw her arms up in the air and reached for a dress. It was then that she realized her husband was wearing his shabbiest clothes, reserved for playing Quidditch with his siblings and Harry.

"Oh, no. No, Ronald, you are _not_ wearing _them_," He held his arms out as if to ask what was wrong with his outfit, "It's shabby and awful and your mother will kill you-!" Without warning, Hermione had burst into tears and thrown herself face down on the bed. Ron stared at her, half concerned and half amused.

"Hermione, what-?"

"Our daughter's in love and you don't CARE!" She turned to face him and sat up, starting to pull her dress on furiously.

"'Course I care,"

"No," She was still crying heartily, "You only care about his family and his name! But you don't care that Rose is happy, that she's found something that could turn into what we have,"

"What, lots of fighting?" Hermione yelled is frustration at his words and made to punch him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. She kept sobbing. He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her,

"I'm sorry, love," He whispered, "I'm sorry, you're right. I'll be happy for Rosie. I'm sorry – please, stop crying," Hermione's arms reached around her husband in reconciliation,

"All we want is for them to be happy," She said shakily,

"I know, I know. I'll be good, I promise," He said softly. He hoped he could keep his word…

"I'm not going," Said the man-child for the thirtieth time that morning. His mother kept a smile hidden as her daughter-in-law coldly reassured her husband that he was most definitely going with them,

"Stop being a baby, dear, and," Narcissa had always found it amusing that Astoria insisted on calling Draco 'dear' whilst manipulating him. Scorpius sat silently at the breakfast table, looking miserable.

"Don't look so, Scorpius," His grandmother chided, "You should be happy,"

"They're going to kill each other," He said, ignoring his parents' hushed argument in the corner,

"Wouldn't that be convenient," Narcissa muttered to herself before addressing Scorpius, "You're going to see Rose again, and its still snowing, it'll be fun!" She barely believed that it was she who was spinning the tale to him, or that she and Molly Weasley had become, in the process of planning and bludgering certain men into obedience, firm friends.

"Time to go," Astoria announced, grabbing her husband and pulling him towards the door. Scorpius sighed uneasily and stood by the fireplace, waiting his turn.

Once through with the formal introductions, Scorpius and Rose managed to sneak off with help from Ginny and her daughter.

"Dad promised Mum he'd behave," Rose said, trying to keep the scepticism out of her voice,

"Let's not," He replied, searching for a conversation, "School again soon,"

"And Hogsmeade weekends," She added, smiling at the thought of being able to see him everyday,

"Potions class – hey, we're going to know who won Slughorn's challenge!" The assignment had flown from both of their minds in the holiday tumult.

"It'll be us," She said confidently, "Only Albus tried to make a poison with Daphne Thomas, and _it_ doesn't do what ours does," Scorpius laughed.

"I hope you're right, it would be a nice, before exams, to know we're on track," Rose waved a hand,

"Exams aren't for ages,"

"Easy for you, you don't have to study, it all comes naturally," He retorted, knowing she would argue with him. She was prevented from doing so however by the appearance of Ron, who insisted that they quit 'gallivanting off together'. Sulking, Rose joined her cousins, introducing Scorpius to each one in turn.

A select few cousins had been invited; the Potter boys had, in fact, not been told. The others had been warned that if James and Albus got wind of the gathering, they would all be cursed into oblivion. Thus, Scorpius met Victoire and Teddy for the first time; Molly and Lucy he met officially. Percy's daughters were sitting with Lily, discussing future days when they would be able to use magic out of school,

"What's your best class, Scorpius?" Molly asked him, giggling as she watched Teddy and Victoire sneak off behind her parents' backs.

"Potions, I think," Rose nodded in agreement,

"Oh, yeah, Slughorn set up that competition for you, didn't he?" Lucy said, eyes wide,

"For the Gryffindors and Slytherins, yeah," Scorpius replied; Lucy shook her head,

"No, no, for y-" Lily hushed her cousin before she could continue, but she knew it was too late. She cursed Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey for having raised such a chatterbox. The third year Ravenclaw eyed Lily nervously before recalling that Uncle Harry had confiscated her wand that Christmas.

"What do you mean, Lucy?" Rose asked sweetly before shooting Lily a look,

"She means that …" Lily knew it was lost; Rose would never fall for a lie,

"Lily snuck into the staffroom, to hear about her detention, and she heard Slughorn talking about you two," Lucy glowed with pleasure at being able to tell the story, "And he said he reckoned you'd make a great couple; you know, the first to break the unwritten rules, that you could be famous… you know how Slughorn is," She added. Scorpius looked at her in question,

"He likes to be in contact with famous people, it's what got him into trouble during the war; he used to have a Slug Club, but McGonagall put a stop to that," Molly supplied, incredulous at Lily's lack of speech.

"The nerve of the-!" Scorpius laid a hand on his girlfriend's arm,

"Seems the old toad was right for once," He said to placate her, "At least he didn't use a love potion or anything like that." Rose calmed down, but kept revenge firmly in the back of her mind.

"Lunch," Molly Weasley Senior called, summoning the last bits of food from the kitchen to the table. The scene reminded Harry of a summer many years ago, when they'd eaten outside before heading to the Quidditch World Cup the next day. Today, Arthur had set up a Weasley Thermo-Tent in the backyard to accommodate the guests. He and Molly had found that, even with money enough to burn, they could not bear to leave the Burrow after all these years.

"So, Scorpius," Bill said, addressing the boy, "What are you thinking of doing next year?" The boy mulled the question over,

"I'm not sure, I had thought of being a Healer," Narcissa nodded in approval,

"That's ambitious," Hermione said warmly, "You did very well in your O.W.Ls, didn't you?"

"I did alright," He replied uneasily. Lily giggled,

"He only got all Outstandings except Divination," She said, followed by collective awe,

"That's the same as Rosie," Ron said, an edge in his voice which his wife quelled by shooting him a look,

"You must be very proud," Ginny said to Draco and Astoria in a desperate bid to include,

"Definitely," Astoria agreed almost warmly, "We were very pleased," Draco remained still and continued to eat quietly.

"What about you, Rose? What do you plan to do?" Narcissa asked; Rose shrugged,

"I really don't know, actually … I'd quite like to teach, but I need some kind of experience first…"

"At least a few years yet for that," Arthur put in, nodding at his wife happily.

"How are things?" Again, Ginny spoke to the Malfoys, this time looking straight at Draco. The latter almost choked on his lettuce,

"Fine, thank you,"

"You work in the Department of Mysteries, don't you?" Harry asked. Draco shot him a look of contention, knowing full well that the question was futile.

"Yes, I do,"

"How is that going?" Harry's mouth twitched slightly; Ginny's followed suit.

"Fine, thank you," Harry and Ginny excused themselves and were found by their disgruntled daughter, laughing uncontrollably in Percy's old bedroom.


	9. Lunch At The Burrow: Part II

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**_I am so sorry this took sooo long. I had a bit of a headachy time figuring out who could stop it, how they would stop it and how to reconcile sides. Of course, it had to be a war story. This has become less about Rose and Scorp than I meant, but I hope you enjoy it anyway._**

_Disclaimer: Nothing's mine._

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Lily stood and glared at her parents with her hands on her hips and a frown deeply furrowed upon her brow. Harry gathered himself before Ginny, a rare occurrence,

"Yes?" He asked, mouth still twitching,

"Stop torturing the Malfoys! Can't you see Rose and Scorpius are worried enough already without you asking dumb questions-!"

"What's dumb about asking him where he works?" Ginny gasped, grasping her husband's arm and bringing her mirth under control.

"You know full well where he works, you're both-!"  
"_POTTER!_" Rose's voice cut through the close window easily and was followed by a shout and several bangs. Lily heard her cousin hex someone. Her eyes filled with the same worry as her parents in a simultaneous realization.

"No one would have told them…" Lily murmured, knowing full well her brothers were intelligent enough to have figured it out. There was more yelling, and without another look at each other, the three Potters were sprinting back to the garden. As Lily ran, she drew her wand. Harry scowled at his daughter's back, wondering when he would finally find a hiding place she wouldn't crack.

* * *

The table had been overturned as the Potter boys erupted into view.

"_POTTER!_" Rose screamed, standing in unison with Scorpius and drawing her wand. Scorpius did the same. A hex flew out of James' wand at Scorpius, who parried it neatly and effortlessly. The adults moved back, recognizing the need for the duel and letting it play out.

As the spells flew, there was a disjointed cry of: "_Expelliarmus!_" Harry disarmed his daughter and pulled her away from the duel by the arm; his shouting would have been heard by all present except for the complete fascination with the duel. Rose was battling Albus, who matched her evenly. James and Scorpius were creating sparks of red and green fire which met each other between the boys and erupted into multicoloured, loud bonfires. And suddenly, the pairs were thrown back from one another as a shield charm grew between them. It was so strong it threw several of the adults backwards. The Malfoys accidentally positioned themselves on the same side as Rose's parents. Astoria threw her husband such a cold look of warning that he dared not comment on the hospitality, or lack thereof. The thing was, Draco realized warily, that none of the adults had cast the charm. His mother was staring at the shield with the same astonishment as the rest of the parents. James Potter was trying to aim spells at Scorpius through the shield, to no avail. A figure emerged from the hedges, long black hair swept around her face and her red robes swished at the grass. She managed to avoid the puddles of food.

"Let me tell you a little story," She said with a voice like glass, "About a girl who was like you," She nodded at Rose, "And a boy, like you." A nod at Scorpius. "The girl was in Slytherin, with a family who prided themselves on pure-blood marriages. The boy was a Hufflepuff, and a Muggle-born wizard. They fell in love," The woman's long, aristocratic hands motioned at both Rose and Scorpius, "And she told her parents. Her younger sister gave her a cold look before telling her she hated her." Narcissa Malfoy flinched. "Her older sister went to curse her, but her father pushed her out of the room. Then he raised his own wand and said the incantation – _crucio_." She said it without raising her wand, as easily as if she had said "fish". "And he raised his wand again and again and the girl's screams were punctuated by the sobs of her sisters in the next room. The boy came. He fought his way out, he saved her life. She never spoke to her older sister again. Only now have she and her younger sister made things right." The brown eyes met the blue and she smiled at her younger sister, who was as pale as she was fair. The Potter boys were looking at the woman with a mixture of awe and horror. "My family was torn apart by _blood_." Her voice was bitter, "My daughter and her husband died so that their son's generation could have the freedom to choose. My husband," For the first time the woman's voice cracked, "My husband died in a war which had to happen. So that situations like this," She motioned again towards the couple, who were holding hands now, "Would never be accompanied by moments like this," She flicked her wand and the shield charm disappeared without a trace.

The Potter boys bowed their heads and their parents and sister did a simultaneous double-take.

"You're right, Andromeda," James said, though he sounded as though this admission caused him great pain. There was a sombre, almost macabre atmosphere, as the Potter boys offered their hands to Scorpius and the latter shook them. Rose, demolishing her anger as easily as she had built it, threw her arms around both of her cousins at the same time. There was a smile as wide as it had ever been plastered across her face. Then, letting them go, she ran to Andromeda. The woman had always been distant with the family; she still had grief etched into her features. But Rose forgot about boundaries as she squealed her thanks euphorically and embraced Teddy's mother. Andromeda felt something unlock in her heart as she returned the embrace. With a wave of the wand, Molly Weasley the First cleared up the mess and brought out desert. Several Patronuses shot out of the end of Percy's wand, and in minutes, Weasley cousins were appearing in the fireplace with their parents. Lily Potter, who had managed to escape her father's grip as soon as Andromeda had cast the shield, stood on a chair and yelled names at Scorpius, who was inundated with introductions and handshakes. Rose was holding his hand, talking to Andromeda and inadvertently melting the latter's iceberg.

Narcissa managed, in the incessant hubbub, to find her partner in planning. Molly Senior smiled at Narcissa easily.

"That wasn't so hard…" Narcissa laughed. She felt a hand on her shoulder and Molly mysteriously disappeared. She turned to find herself staring at her sister. Andromeda extended a hand of sisterhood, but Narcissa knocked it aside in a hug of remembrance. She had not kept her promise to rekindle their relationship, but now was better than never.

"How did you know?" Narcissa asked curiously; Andromeda smiled,

"Teddy," She said simply. "It seems Teddys are predisposed to saving people." Narcissa smiled meaningfully,

"I think Rose will make an _excellent_ daughter-in-law."

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**_Ok, thats it. R&R please. There may be an epilogue in there. I'm still pondering a Weasley-Malfoy Christmas, so we shall see. I like Andromeda, and I love Narcissa, hence the huge amount of Blackness in the fic. Hope it was alright!_**

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